Siege of Jerusalem (1799)

The Siege of Jerusalem (late April 1799) was a battle of the French Revolutionary Wars that occurred when the 993-strong French army of General Louis Desaix captured the major Ottoman city of Jerusalem from its garrison of 1,269 Ottoman troops under Mehmet Aali. The French army of Desaix marched north from Gaza City to secure Jerusalem, the most important Ottoman stronghold in the southern Levant region, a major cultural center (as the "holy city"), and a major military outpost. The French stormed the city with 301 losses, and they succeeded in conquering the holy city. Just as they had done 700 years earlier, the French marched through Jerusalem, victorious, and Desaix and his army would garrison the holy city for the rest of the campaign.